Billy Joel and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo led a motorcycle ride to Ground Zero yesterday (September 11th) in tribute to 9/11 first responders. The New York Daily News reported that Billy and Cuomo headed up dozens of bikers starting from the Rescue 1 firehouse on West 43rd St. to the World Trade Center site, which was the route taken by firefighters 12 years ago. Cuomo asked Billy to participate, citing him as "the quintessential New York citizen who never forgot where he came from."

Billy said, "It's an honor. I was at Ground Zero a few days after 9/11 and it was the worst thing I ever saw in my life. To be asked to do this is very moving." He spoke about the firefighters who rushed to help the victims of the attack: "They got hit hard. These are all good men. It was a very, very sad day, and they lost a lot of people. . . It's still an open wound."